Well, that was obvious. Of course he's fast. He's Sonic. Fastest Hedgehog in the world. He could run across an entire continent within a a span of a few hours. He could jump high enough to embarrass a kangaroo. He could survive a fall from a hundred feet. He could scale sheer surfaces by just running up them. He couldn't swim, but when he could run fast enough not to sink it didn't really make much of a difference. He defied physics. He could practically fly.

Everybody knew about him. Everyone knew his name. Everyone knew what he could do. Who, Sonic? Yeah, fastest hedgehog in the world, what about him? Scientists marveled at what an amazing feat in biology he represented. Artists were inspired what he could do, dedicating amazing works to his achievements. Children played make-believe that they were as amazing as Sonic, spent hours fantasizing about what they could do if they were as fast as him.

But they didn't know.

They didn't know just how fast he was.

Most people had seen glimpses of him on TV as he blurred past cameras. A lucky few had been able to watch him speed by in person, barely able to catch a glimpse of his blue quills as he disappeared into the horizon. But most people would never know how fast he really was. Most people would never try and follow him, to be as silly enough to think they could even keep up. Most people would never waste their time searching every nook and cranny for a sign as to where he'd gone. Most people would realize that it was extremely dangerous to follow Sonic into battle.

Amy Rose was not "Most people."

She was willing to drop everything in her life and dedicate her time to chasing after Sonic. Part of it was because she was young. Part of it was because she had no responsibilities. Part of it was because she had nothing better to do. Most of it was because she wanted to do it.

She was willing to search as long as it took to find him. Loosing track of him never deterred her. She always found him before too long. Amy knew his likes, his habits. She understood what made him tick. She could follow his logic. She knew how to track him down.

She didn't care if it was dangerous, she'd follow Sonic into anything. She wasn't strong because she needed to protect herself. She was strong because she needed to follow Sonic, whether there were deadly robots in her way or not. The thought of loosing Sonic was more frightening to her than the threat of her own life.

Even so...

He was just so damn fast!!!

Chasing after Sonic forced Amy to build up one hell of a cardio workout. She could run farther than most marathon runners could. She could run faster than most olympic sprinters. Her heart was in excellent shape. Her body was well-toned. She didn't eat junk food- it slowed her down too much. Amy was in the healthiest shape possible for a girl her age.

And he was still too fast for her.

Amy had chased Sonic across the world for years. She was never far behind, but she was always behind. No matter how much faster, stronger, or smarter she got, he was always one step ahead of her. Every time she got close to him, he'd find a way to slip through her fingers, to leave her groping at the air as he sped off.

Amy didn't give up. She'd yell at the top of her lungs, determined for him to hear her no matter how far ahead he was. She screamed her frustrations at him for running away again. She declared her love for him, her plans to marry him someday. She threatened to never stop chasing him. Sometimes he'd yell back indignantly, insisting that he didn't have any romantic feelings towards her, pleading her to stop following him. Other times he'd ignore her. Neither response ever changed Amy's determination to chase after him.

Even though he was so fast.

Some of her friends sighed and shook their heads at her behavior, called her childish. Others chuckled in amusement, called her hopeless. People who didn't know her were alarmed at her behavior. People would stare at her with pity. Others would laugh at her, tease her. Some who claimed to know Sonic's heart tried to deter her. They'd try to explain that Sonic could never return her feelings. They tried to convince her that her so-called "love" was nothing but a child's crush that she had to outgrow. Sometimes they got angry at Amy. They would tell her that she was selfish to act the way she did. That he only put up with her because he was such a decent guy. That she was nothing but a burden to Sonic.

Amy had spent almost her entire life chasing after Sonic. It was hard for her to remember ever living her life any other way. She couldn't imagine living in one place for too long. She'd gotten too used to traveling the world. She couldn't imagine herself having friends who thought a day at the mall was an adventure. Her life had been one amazing adventure after the next. She couldn't be an average girl, not when she'd experienced life the way she had.

Amy had been all over the world thanks to following Sonic. She was still a child, and yet she'd experienced more than most would in a lifespan. The places she'd been, the people she'd met, the people they saw...none of it would have happened if she hadn't started following Sonic. Amy would have never had the confidence to be so independent. Amy would have never have felt as empowered as she did when she destroyed a single robot. Amy would have never had the courage to act when most would cower in fear. She was proud of who she was. She was proud of what she could accomplish.

Even if she wasn't as fast as he was.

She wasn't without doubts though. Amy still got scared sometimes. She just tried not to let it stop her. Amy sometimes wished her life was more normal. She just found herself being thankful more often. Amy felt weak when she couldn't help others. She just tried to become stronger. Amy wondered if others thought she was...weird. She just convinced herself that had to be true to herself. Amy asked herself why she did what she did. She just...didn't know how to answer that.

Did Amy truly love Sonic? Plenty had their doubts. She was a young and impulsive. Girls like her threw around the word all the time without putting any meaning into it. Maybe she was just delusional. No one doubted that Amy had a crush on Sonic, but many wondered if she had confused it for love. How could she declare such a complex concept so easily? Most assumed she didn't know what real love was. A few thought that maybe she did, but questioned why she loved Sonic. She'd certainly chosen a hard hedgehog to love. But what if that had been the point? What if her mind had subconsciously sought out Sonic because he was so unlikely to love her in return? What if...

What if...she didn't want to catch Sonic?

It was well-known that Amy's purpose for chasing Sonic was to "catch" him. But Amy herself didn't really understand what that meant. Her mind had formed the theory in a way that seemed rather simple. If she could "catch" Sonic, then he would "love" Amy in return. Her mind had made the conclusion rather simply. Amy didn't know why though. She knew it sounded silly. How would her catching Sonic make him fall in love with her? Was the achievement of being able to keep up with him supposed to impress him? Was it supposed to make him see her in a different light? Was it supposed to make him realize they were perfect for each other? Was that really why she wanted him to love her? Because she could run fast? That wasn't romantic. Her logic made no sense.

And yet it was the best she could come up with. It had no logic, no realism, and wasn't really even an answer. She knew it sounded stupid. She'd tried to find a better reason, but she couldn't. No matter how much she tried, her mind always came back to that line or reasoning. It was embarrassing, but luckily for Amy most people didn't dwell on it.

After all, how could she ever be fast enough to catch Sonic?

No matter how strong and fast Amy became, it seemed like she'd never be fast enough to catch up with Sonic. Sonic didn't seem to have any intention of slowing down, especially not for Amy. He became panicked whenever she got close to him. He seemed revolted by the idea of her catching him. He insisted they were friends, but always seemed annoyed when he was around her. He could keep his cool when facing Eggman in the heat of battle, but would get frustrated just by Amy's presence.

The only time he ever came looking for her was when she was in trouble. She got into that a lot. If anyone else was in danger, Sonic would feel that he had a duty to save them, and rescue them with no complaints. With Amy though, he seemed to view it as a hassle. As soon as she was safe, he'd take off running again.

He ran fast to get away from her.

She ran fast to catch up to him.

It was an endless cycle. It had gone on for years with no sign of stopping. Despite it's longevity though, it was a delicate balance to keep up. Just because Sonic and Amy had managed to keep the cycle going for so long didn't mean it was unbreakable. There were thousands of situations that had to be true in order for the cycle to go on. If just a small few of these situations changed, their relationship would take a drastic change, for better or worse.

Not that Sonic or Amy was aware of this. As far as they knew, there was only two ways to stop their game of cat and mouse.

1. Amy had to fall of out "love" with Sonic

or

2. Sonic had to let Amy "catch" him

At the moment though, neither option seemed like it would happen anytime soon. Amy was still as stubborn to catch him as ever, and Sonic was still determined to avoid her. She'd chase him to the ends of the earth, and he'd still find a way to get away from her. It had been like that since the day they met. Neither were sure if they could have a relationship that was any different. But that wouldn't stop Amy from insisting that they'd get married someday. The very thought made Sonic cringe. Sometimes when she'd chase after him, he'd look back at her in wonder.

She's just so damn persistent!

AHHHHHHH hate it when I accidentally navigate back and loose half of what I write. Anyone else do that? Man it sucks. Still managed to write all of this in one sitting. So...yeah, review I guess.

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